Lumia 640 XL dynamic range in video capture.....

[vikrant1982]

Hi Friends,
I was just playing around with Lumia camera on my 640 xl under adequately lit room condition(artificial light) and I have just noticed that the dynamic range in video mode is just too low on my phone. The moment I switch to video mode, the whole scene is just so dark when compared to still camera mode. Infact the captured videos come out darker and with lot lesser dynamic range as compared to stills. Have transferred, photos and videos to my pc to check and the issue is really there.

Is this with my phone only or is it normal?

 

[djeire84]

Hi Friends,


I was just playing around with Lumia camera on my 640 xl under adequately lit room condition(artificial light) and I have just noticed that the dynamic range in video mode is just too low on my phone. The moment I switch to video mode, the whole scene is just so dark when compared to still camera mode. Infact the captured videos come out darker and with lot lesser dynamic range as compared to stills. Have transferred, photos and videos to my pc to check and the issue is really there.

Is this with my phone only or is it normal?

I have te 640 XL and I have noticed in these conditions having the camera light on makes all the difference also before u take the video tap the middle of the screen as this crisps the video then record the video

 

[vikrant1982]

Thanks for the reply. My problem is that by no means the light in my room can be considered dim but still the video mode picks up very less light as compared to still mode. Does your phone behave the same? Which OS are you running WP8.1 or W10M? This is really bad performance and unacceptable. The on paper specs of the camera sound good but it fails to deliver. Microsoft definitely needs to fix the camera software on 640 XL.

 

[vikrant1982]

Looks like there is a bug in the Lumia camera app and I have found a resolution for it. The problem occurs if you select 25fps or 30fps setting in video mode. The video turns dark and looses all the dynamic range. Switch to 24fps and everything is fine. This needs to be fixed but need to know how to report this to MS.

 

[djeire84]

Thanks for the reply. My problem is that by no means the light in my room can be considered dim but still the video mode picks up very less light as compared to still mode. Does your phone behave the same? Which OS are you running WP8.1 or W10M? This is really bad performance and unacceptable. The on paper specs of the camera sound good but it fails to deliver. Microsoft definitely needs to fix the camera software on 640 XL.

Im in wp10 even when I was on wp8.1 it was still good. Maybe a hard reset if your phone might be in order.

 

[djeire84]

Looks like there is a bug in the Lumia camera app and I have found a resolution for it. The problem occurs if you select 25fps or 30fps setting in video mode. The video turns dark and looses all the dynamic range. Switch to 24fps and everything is fine. This needs to be fixed but need to know how to report this to MS.

If your on wp10 go to the feedback hub app. If your on wp8.1 you van suggest a feature or change from the microsoft wp8.1 section on its website.

 

[vikrant1982]

I haven't done a hard reset yet. I see the problem occurs only when the light is bit less or when shooting in shadow regions. In bright lights like malls and in daylight, both the still and video modes are identical. In a bit low light, the video goes very dark. Also, in the 24fps mode, the screen is initially bright and good but the moment you start recording, the screen goes dark. In 25 and 30fps modes, the screen itself goes dark immediately.

 

[djeire84]

I haven't done a hard reset yet. I see the problem occurs only when the light is bit less or when shooting in shadow regions. In bright lights like malls and in daylight, both the still and video modes are identical. In a bit low light, the video goes very dark. Also, in the 24fps mode, the screen is initially bright and good but the moment you start recording, the screen goes dark. In 25 and 30fps modes, the screen itself goes dark immediately.

Try the hard reset and see does it improve. Also backup your phone beforehand. I think a firmware update is needed on the camera but I couldn't tell you when that is. Its ok in ambient light but not so much in the conditions you have outlined. Try the hard reset and see does it improve a little. Any improvement is a good one.
?ire

 

[vikrant1982]

Hi Everyone,

I have updated the phone to W10M and have subsequently done a hard reset as well. The issue still persists on the new windows camera app. Indoors, when the ambient light is not the most idle but not low by any means, the video camera picks significantly less light as compared to the still mode. The videos come out darker. Is everyone else seeing this issue in 640 XL? this does not happen in broad daylight.

Here are the two screen shots of the camera screen that i have just taken for video mode and still mode. Its evening time with natural light coming in from the windows. The actual scene is not as bright as the still mode shows. But see the difference in light. Depending on the direction of light and scene, the difference is not always so drastic but its still significant.


Still Mode



Video Mode

 

[vikrant1982]

Also, there is less difference in light in video and still mode when pointing towards a light source. See example below -

Still Mode



Video Mode



Again, away from light, the difference in amount of light in the scene is huge. This makes the video camera practically useless in even in moderately low light -

Still Mode



Video Mode